Put your best foot forward: Socks tipped to be the new ‘it’ accessory

Socks for men and women in all shapes and sizes are making a striking return to fashion ramps.
Sock exposure is now cool. (Shutterstock)

Several sightings both on and off the runway are putting socks at the forefront of fashion. Forget arm and wrist candy, it is time to put your best foot forward with the affordable new statement accessory.The sock is hot property when it comes to making a fashion statement. Socks for men and women in all shapes and sizes are making a striking return to the runway, from the thigh-grazing sock boots in Balenciaga’s capsule for Paris concept store colette to Kenzo and Prada’s latest stylish socks.
Kenzo’s collection of attention-getting socks for next spring, unveiled in Paris in June. (Bertrand Guay/AFP)

Cutting-edge designers are sharing some common ground with seemingly fashion-forward Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. Trudeau’s high-profile sock moves have been widely charted. The head of state never misses an opportunity to show off his colourful sock signature. On the opening day of the G20 summit in Germany, Trudeau stole the show with a pair of red patterned socks that he had paired with tan formal shoes with quirky blue laces.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s colourful red patterned statement socks stole the show at the G20 summit on July 7. (Bertrand Guay/AFP)

Wearing socks with trainers makes perfect sense, but socks and slides? The formerly uncool pairing was seen on the Louis Vuitton Spring 2018 runway. If Vuitton says it’s okay, the old faux-pas must be worth investing in!Last month, Prada socked it to ‘em with sporty acid yellow socks and matching trainers during the Spring Summer 17-18 show at Milan Men’s Fashion Week. Longer striped socks also featured in Prada’s menswear collection.
(Left) Louis Vuitton paired socks and slides on the Spring 2018 runway. (Right) Prada showed sporty acid yellow socks and matching trainers during the SS 17-18 show at men’s fashion week in Milan in June (Bertrand Guay/AFP)

On the Kenzo catwalk, Brighton rock-style candy striped knee-high socks accessorised some of the standout looks from the label’s ready-to-wear collection. Models rocked red and white and black and white colour combinations worn with Birkenstock-style slide-ons in a fashion faux-pas busting move.The new attention to socks comes in the wake of a number of sporty footwear drops with a built-in sock design. Alexander Wang’s sneaker for Adidas is a perfect example of how ‘sock exposure’ can be cool.Nike’s Zoom Mercurial Flyknit and Adidas’ City Sock models are other on-trend sock-uppers.